EarlyCDT Lung has been successful in helping beyond the screening of those in the highest risk groups and beyond those in Scotland.

It is becoming apparent that up to 15% of lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked – caused by exposure to asbestos, to radon, from secondary smoking and from genetic and other factors.

Frances Paige never smoked and was not part of the ECLS trial. What caused her lung cancer we will never know, although her husband, who passed away 25 years ago was a smoker, and this may have been a factor.

In 2019 Frances was referred to Stanmore Orthopaedic Hospital for an MRI of her shoulder after she had suffered a post-operative torn rotator cuff. By chance, the radiologist discovered an unusual mass on her right lung. “I was quite taken aback when Northwick Park Hospital called me to make an appointment to investigate my lung.“

Her respiratory consultant was concerned but ultimately reassuring. “He said, ‘if this is what I think it is, your life is not in danger and we will be able to deal with it, because we have caught it early – but we have to go through a series of tests to make sure I’m right.’”

”As the consultant was arranging for me to have lots of standard tests to see what this thing on my lung was, we asked his permission to go ahead and have an EarlyCDT Lung test which we knew about through a member of our family.” The doctor had no objection, so they arranged to take the test privately.

A week later, just as Frances was waiting to go in for the first of her hospital-ordered scans, the results of the EarlyCDT Lung were telephoned through to her daughter. “It came back saying that it was highly likely I had lung cancer.”

After a further CT scan, PET scan and an Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) the hospital confirmed the diagnosis and removed the top right lobe of her lung and 21 lymph nodes, which thankfully all came back negative. “The experience was not as bad as I was expecting,” says Frances.

A year later, Frances is now glowing with good health and her GP recently said, after conducting a range of follow up tests, “there’s no reason you shouldn’t live until you’re a hundred – or longer!”.

“The treatment I got was really good,” she says. “They discovered it completely by chance and I had no symptoms whatsoever.”

Despite being 77, Frances only retired last year – and that was only because the lingerie shop in nearby Finchley, where she had been manageress for 33 years, closed down. Frances is currently seeking her next challenge.